Samson 1912

J.J. Bregnø’s ‘Samson’ is a sculpture of plaster with a wax finish, and when you stand in front of it, you can see where his hands have worked the surface. The texture is fascinating - in some areas, like the torso, it's incredibly smooth, almost polished. Then your eye travels down to the base, where the plaster is rough, almost violently textured. That contrast gets at a feeling of the figure emerging, as if growing out of the earth. Look at the way his head is bowed, it makes the piece seem so melancholic. The story of Samson is, of course, a tragic one, and Bregnø really captures that sense of defeat and resignation. He's not just a strongman; he's a person wrestling with his fate. It reminds me of Rodin's sculptures, where the figures seem to be caught in a moment of intense emotional struggle. It leaves us with so many unanswered questions.